


The Rest Will Follow

by spiritualmachines



Category: Hanson (Band)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, One Shot, POV First Person, Romance, Sibling Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:14:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14960489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritualmachines/pseuds/spiritualmachines
Summary: Excerpt:“Oh, you are far from innocent.”Prompt: EveningPhoto:Click





	The Rest Will Follow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tondada](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tondada/gifts).



> *This story is from Zac's POV.

The warm air on my face was a welcome luxury. I’d always been a fan of a nice breeze, especially in the evening—an unseen kiss from Mother Nature that caressed my skin and reminded me how refreshing the world could be right before sunset. As the wind blew my hair into my face, tickling my nostrils, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh (nearly a giggle, really), and cover my face with my hands.

“What’s so funny, gorgeous?” David asked, pulling my hands away with a grin, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

Gripping his hand tightly in mine, I reclined in my chair and admired his chiseled features. For as long as I could remember, I had been attending the annual Hanson siblings “couples trip” alone. I had been with David for two years, and he’d never been able to come on vacation with us due to the nature of his job, but he had always urged me to go by myself. So in spite of feeling like the unnecessary extra wheel, I had done so every year, because I loved my siblings and generally enjoyed spending time away with them. Still, it was infinitely better to actually be part of a couple while on this sort of trip.

Coming to terms with my sexuality hadn’t exactly been a cakewalk, but David had helped me through it every step of the way. He’d made me feel like coming out to my family was possible—truth be told, he made me believe I could do _anything_ with his love and support. With him, I grew to realize that it doesn’t matter who you fall in love with as long as they make you a better person.

“I’m just really happy that you’re here with me. And I like the way the wind feels on my face… it’s so nice.” 

My rather sloppy drawl revealed that perhaps I’d had a little too much to drink already, but I knew that David would find it endearing. Ever since we’d met, he had opened me up and showed me what it felt like to be with someone who accepted me as I was, flaws and all. 

“I love being here with you. I love the wind, the sky, the saltwater. I also just really love you,” he whispered.

With a smile, I drew him in closer and pressed my mouth softly and firmly to his. 

“Back at ya,” I murmured, sighing contentedly when his lips trailed down my jaw to the sensitive skin of my neck.

“Get a room!”

“No one wants to see that, Zac!”

A wadded-up napkin hit me in the face, breaking ever so cruelly into my reverie. The loud, drunken slurs of my brothers brought me back to the reality in which I lived. A reality where they supported me just as long as they didn’t have to see what Isaac had once referred to as “homo stuff.”

Sitting up, I picked up the napkin that had been thrown at me and whipped it back in Isaac’s direction with a scowl. 

“Can you ever be just a little bit respectful?” I growled, reaching out for David’s hand once more. “I’ve seen your hand inside Nikki’s bikini no less than three times since dinner, but I haven’t told you to get a room.”

“That’s different,” my oldest brother replied, a defensive edge to his tone. “Nicole is my _wife_.”

My jaw tightened when I heard the unmistakable emphasis that Isaac had placed on the word “wife.” On any other day, I would have let it slide, but I was just intoxicated enough to actually speak up for once.

“Well, David is my _boyfriend_ and has been my boyfriend for the last two years. I can kiss him here if I want to. It isn’t like I’m shoving my hand down his shorts and making everyone watch me,” I said, shooting him a pointed look before continuing. “If the real issue is that we aren’t married, are you offering to be my best man if we decide to go that route?”

“S-sure…” 

Clearly caught off-guard by my attack, Isaac shifted his gaze away from me and into his empty pint glass. 

“What about you, Tay?” Apparently, my fit of rage wasn’t over yet. In fact, it only gained momentum as I swiveled in my chair to face my other brother, staring directly into his glassy eyes. “Would _you_ support me if I decided to marry a man, or would that make it all too real for you? Would it just drive home the point that baby brother likes cock instead of pussy?”

I was well aware that _I_ was now the one making things awkward and uncomfortable, but I couldn’t help it. I had stayed silent for far too long, and once my true feelings came tumbling out, I found that I couldn’t stop them.

“Hey, now, there’s no need to start dragging poor, innocent souls into this,” Taylor said, raising his hands in the air with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, you are far from innocent,” I said with a snort, shaking my head in disgust. “Wasn’t it you who told me that this is just a _phase_ I’m going through? Or have you conveniently forgotten that conversation?”

I paused to look at them all, standing up and pushing my chair back roughly. 

“But this isn’t a phase at all. Being gay isn’t like having the flu, you know. It isn’t a sickness; it isn’t something I’ll eventually ‘recover’ from. I’m in _love_ with David and I want to be with him. He’s not just my friend, or one of the guys, or a passing fling. He’s a very important part of my life, and if any of you want to be a part of that same life, then you’re going to have to accept that. If you can’t, good riddance. I get enough bullshit from homophobic strangers passing by on the street. I don’t need it from my own flesh and blood.”

Leaning down, I mumbled a hushed apology to David before giving him another kiss and stalking off toward the beach. 

“Damn. Who pissed in his margarita?” Isaac remarked under his breath but none-too-quietly as I made my departure. 

I merely flicked my middle finger into the air and kept on walking. 

*** * * * ***

The breeze I’d been enjoying at dinner began to pick up as I made my way toward the water. I was drawn to a beautiful table arrangement on the pier, left behind from a small, private party that had taken place earlier that day. The setup was elegant yet understated, and it positively exuded the serenity I was so badly seeking. Just as one of the resort’s employees stooped down to blow out the candles, I stopped her, slipping her some money to leave everything as it was so that I—so that _we_ —could enjoy it.

If I knew David, he wouldn’t be far behind. He hated tense exchanges just as much as I did, if not more. I didn’t regret standing up to my brothers, but I felt badly for storming off and leaving him in the thorny aftermath, and I wanted to try to salvage the rest of the night. After all, it wasn’t as if we were allowed to bask in the beauty of the Florida Keys together every day.

It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes before I felt cold condensation pressing against my neck, causing me to gasp and seize up. David’s warm hand steadied me, coming to rest on my waist as he spun me around and revealed the bottle of Prosecco tucked into the crook of his elbow.

“I know we’ve both already had a lot to drink, but I figured the situation called for a little more,” he said in that low, sexy voice of his that I couldn’t resist.

“You’re the best,” I said, leaning against him. 

With one arm around me, he lowered his body down onto the pillows and drew me in against his chest. I relaxed almost immediately upon inhaling his familiar, calming scent as my fingers danced lightly along his bicep. I had always been drawn to how muscular and _manly_ he was, his physique a constant reminder that I had been born with an inherent attraction to men instead of women. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened back there?” he asked, opening the bottle and holding it to my lips so that I could take a much-needed sip. 

Breathing out a sigh, I handed the bottle back to him and stretched out on the dock, taking a moment to admire the clear evening sky above me before responding.

"I didn't mean to cause such a scene, but sometimes I get so tired of the way they treat me. I love my brothers to death, but it really sucks to feel like their love for me is conditional."

He pressed his lips against my temple and held them there for a heartbeat. 

"If I remember correctly, you were reluctant to show affection in public as recent as a year ago, sweetheart," he reminded me gently. 

His tone was loving and not the slightest bit accusatory, even though I knew that particular period of our relationship hadn’t been easy for him either. Yet he had been remarkably patient and kind, refusing to give up on me even as I faltered. He assured me that the end result was worth the various forms of hell I’d put him through during my quest to find myself, and I thanked my lucky stars that he was mine. 

"If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s that everyone moves at their own pace,” he continued. “The important thing is that they _do_ love you. The rest will follow."

I nodded, knowing that he was right. More often than not, David was my voice of reason, my pillar of strength when I lost my footing, my compass whenever I lost my way. 

"I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since then," I whispered softly.

I knew he didn’t need any further proof that I wasn’t afraid to be with him no matter who was watching, but I still wanted to show him that I meant it. Turning in his arms, I pulled him toward me until our lips met in a searing kiss. My desire for him hadn’t diminished over the years. It had only grown, flourishing into the type of love I thought I’d only hear about but not experience firsthand.

“We both have,” he murmured against my mouth.

We melted into each other then, the rest of the world fading away like it so often did when we were together. There were bound to be more rough times ahead, but with David, the good always far outweighed the bad.


End file.
